eroism, seem so near
and so transcendent, and then, quite close at hand, one finds evil
doings.

[Page Heading: A TREASURE]

_14 May._--I heard two little stories to-day, one of a British soldier
limping painfully through Poperinghe with a horrid wound in his arm and
thigh.

"You seem badly wounded," a friend of mine said to him.

"Yus," said the soldier; "there were a German, and he wounded me in
three places, but"--he drew from under his arm a treasure, and his poor
dirty face was transformed by a delighted grin--"I got his bloody
helmet."

Another story was of an English officer telephoning from a church-tower.
He gave all his directions clearly and distinctly, and never even hinted
that the Germans had taken the town and were approaching the church. He
just went on talking, till at last, as the tramp of footsteps sounded on
the belfry stairs, he said, "Don't take any notice of any further
information. I am going." He went--all the brave ones seem to go--and
those were the last words he spoke.

Rhodes Moorhouse flew low over the German lines the other day, in order
to bombard the German station at Courtrai. He planed down to 300 feet,
and became the target for a hundred guns. In the murderous fire he was
wounded, and might have descended, but he was determined not to let the
Germans have his machine. He planed down to 100 feet in order to gather
speed. At this elevation he was hit again, and mortally wounded, but he
flew on alone to the British lines--like a shot bird heading for its own
nest. He didn't even stop at the first aerodrome he came to, but sailed
on--always alone--to his base, made a good landing, handed over his
machine, and died.

In the hospitals what heroism one finds! One splendid fellow of 6 feet 2
inches had both his legs and both his arms amputated. He turned round to
the doctor and said, smiling, "I shan't have to complain of beds being
too short now!" And when someone came and sat with him in his deadly
pain, he remarked in his gentle way, "I am afraid I am taking up all
your time." His old father and mother arrived after he was dead.

Ah! if one could hear more, surely one would do more! But this
hole-and-corner way of doing warfare damps all enthusiasm and stifles
recruiting. Why are we allowed to know nothing until the news is stale?
Yesterday I heard at first hand of the treatment of some civilians by
Germans, and I visited a village to hear from the _people themselves_
what had h